Game Elements
Ask students if they are familiar with the board game Risk. If there is a significant number of students who are not familiar with it, have them access the student chapter How to Play Risk or play it for the class. (Risk will be used as the example in the next activity.)
Now have students access the student chapter Game Design and go through the Information Wall with them.
If you did not bring games for students to play (or have students bring them), start by having students name games they are familiar with and list those one the board. (These can be any kind of game: board games, video games, card games, tabletop role-playing games, et cetera.)
If you have already delivered the lesson Video Game Verbs, you can use the list from that lesson instead.
Next, divide the class into small groups.
If you or students brought games to play, have each group play their game for about 10-15 minutes and then complete the student activity Game Element Analysis.
If you do not have games in class, have each group choose one of the games listed and complete the activity with that game as their subject.
Have each group access the student chapter Game Design Analysis and use the interactive tool to analyze the design of their game.
When they have finished, have the groups present their game analysis to the class. Encourage them to highlight interesting or unique game mechanics and discuss how those mechanics contribute to the overall gameplay experience.